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New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) The Center on Thursday approved the appointment of Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI).
A notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as the Chief Justice of India with effect from November 24, 2025.”
Current CJI Bhushan R. Gavai is scheduled to retire on November 23 on attaining the age of 65.
Justice Gavai had earlier recommended Justice Kant as his successor, following the established tradition of appointing the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of India.
Justice Kant, who will be the 53rd Chief Justice of India with a tenure of about 14 months, will step down on February 9, 2027.
Born on February 10, 1962, in a middle-class family in Haryana, Justice Surya Kant completed his graduation from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981 and obtained a law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak in 1984.
He started his legal practice in Hisar in 1984 and moved to Chandigarh the following year to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Over the years, he handled a wide range of constitutional, service and civil cases, representing universities, boards, corporations, banks and even the High Court.
Justice Kant was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on 7 July 2000 and was designated Senior Advocate in March 2001.
On January 9, 2004, he was elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
He served as the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018, until his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
Justice Kant has also been associated with various judicial and legal services institutions. He served as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for two consecutive terms between 2007 and 2011 and currently serves on several committees of the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university functioning under the Supreme Court of India.
Since November 2024, he is the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.
–IANS
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